Kingsport police respond to quarrel over cell phone quote

The blotter is derived from recent incident reports and central dispatch records of local police agencies.

Sullivan County Sheriff's Office

Jan. 5

A deputy observed the driver of a Hyundai Santa Fe rev its engine outside Rain Night Life, then rapidly accelerate down Stone Drive. The officer followed as it turned onto Gibson Mill Road, then saw it cross over top of the roundabout at Ravine, enter the yard of a home and crash into a tree. Both occupants of the SUV were transported for treatment. The driver was charged with DUI.

Jan. 7

A resident of Ridgeway Road smelled smoke and looked outside, finding their lawn tractor on fire beside the home. Vehicles were moved away from the mower, and the Warriors Path Volunteer Fire Department responded. Damages were contained to the carport and arson was suspected. According to an official on the scene, an unidentified white male "present at previous fires" was spotted, but had since departed.

Jan. 8

At a crash on Summerville Road, a deputy found a brick mailbox destroyed and Honda Civic on its top, but no driver was present. Kingsport police soon located a pedestrian who said he was in an accident and transported him back to the scene. There, he advised a deer had darted in front of him, making him swerve and wreck. He also had an odor of alcohol, performed poorly on sobriety testing and was arrested for DUI.

Kingsport Police Department

Jan. 6

— At a West Stone Drive convenience store, police spoke with a man who had been passed out behind the wheel. While the driver's side door was open, he placed the car in reverse and backed up, nearly pinning an officer's leg between his vehicle and another. The driver then fled to nearby Teasel Drive, bailed from his car and could not be immediately located. A female passenger identified him, and warrants were obtained for his arrest. She was found to have Subutex and was jailed for simple possession.

— On Madison Street, an officer spotted a stopped pickup blocking the roadway. The driver was found slumped over the steering wheel and asked to step from the vehicle, then performed well on sobriety testing. However, an outstanding warrant — and syringe in the vehicle's door — netted his arrest. Prior to the vehicle begin towed, an inventory of its contents was conducted. That led to the seizure of 50 grams of meth, 32 grams of marijuana, 41 pills, several pieces of jewelry and three debit cards that were in other peoples' names. The suspect was additionally charged with felonies.

— A woman called police to a wireless provider on Stone Drive, saying the salesman quoted a price for cell phones, then tried to charge her more. When she questioned him, according to her account, he yelled and cursed at her, she knocked a box off the counter and he tried to flip the counter on top of her. The employee told an officer that he initially mispriced her items, then explained he couldn't ring them up for that amount. She allegedly demanded he honor the quote and "knocked everything off their counter." Associates then "escorted her out." Nothing was damaged and police took no action. The woman was told not to return to the business.